Feds set no-go zones for President Barack Obama's Hawaii vacation

12/18/12 4:00 PM EST

The White House has yet to announce President Barack Obama's vacation plans, but federal authorities are setting up no-go security zones in the air and at sea in preparation for a presidential trip to Hawaii that could begin later this week and last more than two weeks.

On Monday evening, the Federal Aviation Administration issued several flight restrictions for Hawaii from 8 P.M. Friday through midnight on Sunday January 6. The key air restriction surrounds Koko Head on the southeastern side of O'ahu, near where Obama has vacationed in the past.

And in a notice set to be published formally on Wednesday morning, the Coast Guard will announce a "temporary security zone" in the nearby waters of Kailua Bay—where Obama has rented vacation homes in past years. According to the notice, the Coast Guard security zone kicked in at 6 A.M. Monday, even though the president is still wrapped up in fiscal cliff negotiations with Congress and various other matters at the White House.

The water exclusion zone includes waters south of Kapoho Point and a nearby channel in Kailua Bay and runs "from the surface of the water to the ocean floor." (Attention still photogs: No scuba tricks and no submersibles.)

The Coast Guard issued a similar notice last year, but there are a couple new features. The new notice says the operations of six jet-ski and parasailing companies will be affected by the water zone, but only while Obama is arriving at and departing from Honolulu International Airport. And there's a nod to those who may want to take advantage of the president's visit to express themselves: "The Coast Guard respects the First Amendment rights of protesters. Protesters are asked to contact [the Coast Guard] to coordinate protest activities so that your message can be received without jeopardizing the safety or security of people, places or vessels."

The FAA's announcement takes a sterner tone.

"THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE AIRCRAFT POSES AN IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT," the Notice to Airmen warns. (The screaming capitalization is standard.)

The exclusion zones are not hard-and-fast bans on air and sea traffic. Entry is permitted with permission from the appropriate authorities.

A White House spokesman had no comment Tuesday on the announcement of the no-go zones or on Obama's vacation plans.

UPDATE (Tuesday, 4:32 P.M.): This post has been updated with the White House declining to comment.